When the bar owner makes his own gueuze

No, Restaurant 3 Fonteinen is not the same as Brewery 3 Fonteinen. But there is a connection. It was Gaston Debelder who took over the café and the gueuze distillery in Beersel in 1953 and started the restaurant. His sons Armand and Guido grew up among the regulars and the barrels of lambic in the cellar. In the late 1990s, the brewery was built within and by the restaurant. In the early 2000s, Armand left the kitchen to devote himself full-time to brewing (geuze was still being produced in the cellar until 2021).

Today, Thomas Debelder—the third generation—is at the helm of Restaurant 3 Fonteinen. With lambic running through their veins, Thomas and his sister Julie couldn’t resist making their own either. They source their lambic from the Boon Brewery in Halle and Den Herberg in Buizingen and let it mature in the restaurant’s cellar, just like in the old days.

The result is a simple and pure Oude Geuze Parrain. Bottled in 75-centiliter bottles, it’s ideal for sharing with friends and family at the table of this cozy restaurant. Restaurant 3 Fonteinen is thus not only a gathering place in Beersel, but also a living piece of lambic tradition. And while you wait for your meal, you can see the lambic quietly continuing to age in the cellar.

And the name Parrain? It’s a tribute to grandfather “parrain” Gaston, with whom it all began.

🏠 Restaurant 3 Fonteinen/Parrain Geuzestekerij
Herman Teirlinckplein 3
1650 Beersel

🧍🏻 Cellar tours with tastings during restaurant hours: www.3fonteinenrestaurant.com

The Paddenbroek Cycling and Hiking Café—located under the glass dome of the rural center—is a regular stop for recreational travelers and beer lovers alike. Café owner Roel Janssens serves about 120 beers, with a preference for lambic and local brews. But even that wasn’t enough. Roel reached out to his cousin Jo Panneels at Lambiek Fabriek, and together they created their own geuze: Geuze Pajottegem, a blend of one- and two-year-old lambic.

That success left him wanting more. For his next project, Roel visited the Den Herberg brewery, which resulted in the Oude Geuze Pajottinga. “A tribute to the Pajottenland of yesteryear and everything that makes this region so special,” he explains.

You can taste the geuzes at Café Paddenbroek, with a view of the Kesterheide. And anyone who knows Roel knows that he still has ideas brewing. Maybe even his own lambic someday?

🏠Paddenbroek Cycling & Hiking Café
Paddenbroekstraat 12
1755 Gooik

🧍🏻Visit: www.rockandroellexperience.be/fiets-wandelcafe-paddenbroek

This is how many more original geuzes are created from unique blends, initiated by café owners or restaurant operators with a deep passion for lambic and their region. They never have to look far, because in Lambiekland, there’s always a brewer nearby.

For example, Jef Koolen of Café De Bascule in Bellingen sources his lambic from Sako Brewery. He lets it rest in the cellar and uses it to create his own aged geuze. An exclusive product, available only to drink or buy at his bar. For those who really want something special: Jef and Sako Brewery even let a batch of old geuze age for a year… at the bottom of the sea in Croatia.

Restaurant De Smidse, located on the site of the old Herisem paper and cardboard factory in Alsemberg, sources lambic from its brewer friends Lindemans, Girardin, and Den Herberg for its Oude Geuze Cuvée 1655.

And at Restaurant Boelekewis in Beersel, they set out to blend geuze using five types of lambic from Boon and Lindemans. The result is their Oude Geuze Succubus. With a little help from the Hanssens geuze blending house in Dworp. That’s what friends are for.